James Monroe April 28, 1758 - July 4, 1831 in Westmoreland County, Virginia Terms of Office: March 1817 – March 1821; March 1821 – March 1825 (2 terms) Vice President: Daniel D. Tompkins (both terms) Political Party: Democratic-Republican
James Monroe deserves a B for his decisions made and actions done while he was in office. He presided over the White House during the “Era of Good Feelings,” acquiring of Florida, Missouri Compromise, boundary creation between the United States and Great Britain, and he made the Monroe Doctrine. However, the harshness of Native Americans, and issues of the deep divisions between the North and South also occurred during his terms in office which dropped his rating as a president.
The main goals that are known about Monroe’s presidency were his want for national unity and the absence of political parties. Clearly, he did not entirely achieve these goals within the terms of his presidency. He somewhat succeeded in creating national unity. During his two terms, the issue of slavery in the South really materialized due to Missouri requesting statehood as a slave state, which generated much sectionalism within the country. However, he then succeeded in temporarily fixing the issue with the Missouri Compromise in 1820 and 1821. Despite this “quick fix,” he only achieved his goal to an extent owing to the fact that the Civil War still broke out in 1861. Also, though there may not have been separate political parties in the duration of his terms in office, the emergence of the two-political party system was still seen in the election of 1840 with the Whigs and the Democrats. Ever since this time period, there have been at least two political parties in elections. Therefore, James Monroe only partially achieved one goal, and completely failed in completing the other.
Monroe had a fair relationship with his Congress; it was neither good nor bad. The majority of Congressmen were Democratic-Republicans during both of his terms in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The lowest ratio was three Democratic-Republicans to one Federalist. However, this also tended to cause issues for Monroe, as a result of the members of Congress then basing their votes on personality and other aspects, rather than political party like it was traditionally done. Monroe vetoed only one bill in 1822 about the renovating of the Cumberland Road and adding tolls to the road, because he thought it was unconstitutional. Additionally, Monroe threatened to veto the Missouri statehood bill if they kept the restrictions about requiring it to be admitted as a free state, which he saw as unconstitutional as well. However, it was unnecessary seeing as it did not even make it past the Senate. After it was proposed Maine was admitted to the Union as a free state and northerners knew they would continue comprising half of Congress, they allowed Missouri to be admitted as a slave state and James Monroe signed off on it. However, this came only with the Missouri Compromise Bill, which Monroe signed as well. This allowed Missouri to become a slave state, but the South also relinquished any claims to the rest of the Louisiana land north of the line 36°30’. Because of this “compromise,” Monroe and Congress then approved Missouri as a slave state. Obviously, Monroe did not have either an exceptionally good or bad relations with his Congress.
The decision made by the Monroe administration that ultimately produced the best results was the Missouri Compromise. There was a dispute that was mainly over slavery and the possibility of the slave states overpowering northern states if Missouri were to be admitted to the Union as a slave state. The House of Representatives thus proposed that Missouri had to be admitted to the Union as a free state or not at all. This went over badly with both Monroe and the Senate; Monroe threatened to veto it and it didn’t even make it out of the Senate. Because of this, Henry Clay made up the Missouri Compromise in 1820. First, Maine, which was a part of Massachusetts, was to become its own state, and was therefore to be admitted as a free state. Then, Missouri could also be admitted to the Union, only as a slave state. This way, both the North and the South would be content, because they would each still encompass half of the congressional votes in the Senate. Moreover, Congress and Monroe banned slavery in any future states north of the 36°30’ line, the southern boundary of Missouri. The compromise made by the Monroe administration thus prevented the uprising of the Civil War over the next forty years. Despite the shakiness of the agreement, it still remained intact and helped patch the deepening divide between the North and the South, at least for the time being. Evidently, the Missouri Compromise was possibly the best decision that could have been made for the betterment of the country at the time. The one decision that seemed to have a negative impact made by the Monroe Administration was the selection of Andrew Jackson to recapture Indians, known as the Seminole who had fled to Spanish Florida. Since the Spanish were dealing with the revolts of countries in South America such as Argentina, Venezuela, and Chile, most of the Spanish troops were not residing in Florida. As a consequence of this, Andrew Jackson saw his chance to invade Florida and punish these Native Americans. He received the approval of the government, but it specifically told him to “respect all posts under the Spanish flag.” In 1818, Jackson passed into Florida, then hanged two Native American chiefs and put two British people to death for helping the Seminoles. Furthermore, he captured the two most imperative Spanish forts, Pensacola and St. Marks. He obviously overstepped both his obligations and bounds. Due to these acts, the Florida Purchase Treaty of 1819 occurred, which ceded both Florida and any claims the Spanish had to Oregon Country. Moreover, the United States abandoned any possible claims they had to Texas. Despite the good outcomes of these actions, the government made a mistake in choosing Andrew Jackson as the candidate to execute them. If they hadn’t chosen him, the Spanish might have given up Florida more peacefully, not involving attacks on or deaths of innocent people. Therefore, this was the worst decision made by the administration.
The most essential decision made by Monroe and his administration was to make the Monroe Doctrine. It was presented on December 2, 1823 and was basically a word of caution to European countries. He first addressed the idea of not settling the land in the Americas anymore since there was no more new land to acquire. The other plan he proposed was to not have any more foreign interference from the monarchs of Europe, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean. He also clarified that the United States had to interest in obtaining the lands in these two places. He then stated America’s promise to not get concerned in the Greek War versus the Turks. The Monroe Doctrine did not have a large effect on the world or the country at the time, only because the United States wasn’t even technically upholding it. The sole reason for the Europeans to listen to the terms was that the British also backed the Monroe Doctrine and they had full naval control of the seas. In other words, they had no way they could even get to the Americas to do anything. Regardless of these facts, the Monroe Doctrine had much effect on the future of America and how foreign policy was to be shaped. During both Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency and the Cold War, the Monroe Doctrine was expanded to help justify the reasoning behind American involvement. If the Monroe Doctrine had never been made, the presidents would have had no justification for their actions and European countries might have been led to believe that America was not aiding the country, but was, in reality, attracted to the idea of gaining new territory. Therefore, the stating of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823 was vital, even if it didn’t seem like it at the time.
The United States of America was definitely better off by the end of Monroe’s two terms. He not only helped create a temporary peace between the North and South, but also made sure he wasn’t overusing his political power despite the absence of a second political party to object. By creating the Monroe Doctrine, he assisted in shaping future foreign policy, a policy America still lives by today, even though it’s not technically a law. Overall, Monroe’s good decisions certainly outweighed his bad ones leaving him with a respectable grade of a B+.
Bailey, Thomas A., Lizabeth Cohen, and David M. Kennedy. The American Pageant: A History of the Republic. 12 ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Print.
Degregorio, William A.. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents, Seventh Edition (Complete Book of Us Presidents). 7 ed. Fort Lee: Barricade Books, 2009. Print.
"The James Monroe Administrations." Presidential Administration Profiles for Students. Online Edition. Gale Group, 2002. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/.
James Monroe
April 28, 1758 - July 4, 1831 in Westmoreland County, Virginia
Terms of Office: March 1817 – March 1821; March 1821 – March 1825 (2 terms)
Vice President: Daniel D. Tompkins (both terms)
Political Party: Democratic-Republican
James Monroe deserves a B for his decisions made and actions done while he was in office. He presided over the White House during the “Era of Good Feelings,” acquiring of Florida, Missouri Compromise, boundary creation between the United States and Great Britain, and he made the Monroe Doctrine. However, the harshness of Native Americans, and issues of the deep divisions between the North and South also occurred during his terms in office which dropped his rating as a president.
The main goals that are known about Monroe’s presidency were his want for national unity and the absence of political parties. Clearly, he did not entirely achieve these goals within the terms of his presidency. He somewhat succeeded in creating national unity. During his two terms, the issue of slavery in the South really materialized due to Missouri requesting statehood as a slave state, which generated much sectionalism within the country. However, he then succeeded in temporarily fixing the issue with the Missouri Compromise in 1820 and 1821. Despite this “quick fix,” he only achieved his goal to an extent owing to the fact that the Civil War still broke out in 1861. Also, though there may not have been separate political parties in the duration of his terms in office, the emergence of the two-political party system was still seen in the election of 1840 with the Whigs and the Democrats. Ever since this time period, there have been at least two political parties in elections. Therefore, James Monroe only partially achieved one goal, and completely failed in completing the other.
Monroe had a fair relationship with his Congress; it was neither good nor bad. The majority of Congressmen were Democratic-Republicans during both of his terms in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The lowest ratio was three Democratic-Republicans to one Federalist. However, this also tended to cause issues for Monroe, as a result of the members of Congress then basing their votes on personality and other aspects, rather than political party like it was traditionally done. Monroe vetoed only one bill in 1822 about the renovating of the Cumberland Road and adding tolls to the road, because he thought it was unconstitutional. Additionally, Monroe threatened to veto the Missouri statehood bill if they kept the restrictions about requiring it to be admitted as a free state, which he saw as unconstitutional as well. However, it was unnecessary seeing as it did not even make it past the Senate. After it was proposed Maine was admitted to the Union as a free state and northerners knew they would continue comprising half of Congress, they allowed Missouri to be admitted as a slave state and James Monroe signed off on it. However, this came only with the Missouri Compromise Bill, which Monroe signed as well. This allowed Missouri to become a slave state, but the South also relinquished any claims to the rest of the Louisiana land north of the line 36°30’. Because of this “compromise,” Monroe and Congress then approved Missouri as a slave state. Obviously, Monroe did not have either an exceptionally good or bad relations with his Congress.
The decision made by the Monroe administration that ultimately produced the best results was the Missouri Compromise. There was a dispute that was mainly over slavery and the possibility of the slave states overpowering northern states if Missouri were to be admitted to the Union as a slave state. The House of Representatives thus proposed that Missouri had to be admitted to the Union as a free state or not at all. This went over badly with both Monroe and the Senate; Monroe threatened to veto it and it didn’t even make it out of the Senate. Because of this, Henry Clay made up the Missouri Compromise in 1820. First, Maine, which was a part of Massachusetts, was to become its own state, and was therefore to be admitted as a free state. Then, Missouri could also be admitted to the Union, only as a slave state. This way, both the North and the South would be content, because they would each still encompass half of the congressional votes in the Senate. Moreover, Congress and Monroe banned slavery in any future states north of the 36°30’ line, the southern boundary of Missouri. The compromise made by the Monroe administration thus prevented the uprising of the Civil War over the next forty years. Despite the shakiness of the agreement, it still remained intact and helped patch the deepening divide between the North and the South, at least for the time being. Evidently, the Missouri Compromise was possibly the best decision that could have been made for the betterment of the country at the time.
The one decision that seemed to have a negative impact made by the Monroe Administration was the selection of Andrew Jackson to recapture Indians, known as the Seminole who had fled to Spanish Florida. Since the Spanish were dealing with the revolts of countries in South America such as Argentina, Venezuela, and Chile, most of the Spanish troops were not residing in Florida. As a consequence of this, Andrew Jackson saw his chance to invade Florida and punish these Native Americans. He received the approval of the government, but it specifically told him to “respect all posts under the Spanish flag.” In 1818, Jackson passed into Florida, then hanged two Native American chiefs and put two British people to death for helping the Seminoles. Furthermore, he captured the two most imperative Spanish forts, Pensacola and St. Marks. He obviously overstepped both his obligations and bounds. Due to these acts, the Florida Purchase Treaty of 1819 occurred, which ceded both Florida and any claims the Spanish had to Oregon Country. Moreover, the United States abandoned any possible claims they had to Texas. Despite the good outcomes of these actions, the government made a mistake in choosing Andrew Jackson as the candidate to execute them. If they hadn’t chosen him, the Spanish might have given up Florida more peacefully, not involving attacks on or deaths of innocent people. Therefore, this was the worst decision made by the administration.
The most essential decision made by Monroe and his administration was to make the Monroe Doctrine. It was presented on December 2, 1823 and was basically a word of caution to European countries. He first addressed the idea of not settling the land in the Americas anymore since there was no more new land to acquire. The other plan he proposed was to not have any more foreign interference from the monarchs of Europe, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean. He also clarified that the United States had to interest in obtaining the lands in these two places. He then stated America’s promise to not get concerned in the Greek War versus the Turks. The Monroe Doctrine did not have a large effect on the world or the country at the time, only because the United States wasn’t even technically upholding it. The sole reason for the Europeans to listen to the terms was that the British also backed the Monroe Doctrine and they had full naval control of the seas. In other words, they had no way they could even get to the Americas to do anything. Regardless of these facts, the Monroe Doctrine had much effect on the future of America and how foreign policy was to be shaped. During both Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency and the Cold War, the Monroe Doctrine was expanded to help justify the reasoning behind American involvement. If the Monroe Doctrine had never been made, the presidents would have had no justification for their actions and European countries might have been led to believe that America was not aiding the country, but was, in reality, attracted to the idea of gaining new territory. Therefore, the stating of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823 was vital, even if it didn’t seem like it at the time.
The United States of America was definitely better off by the end of Monroe’s two terms. He not only helped create a temporary peace between the North and South, but also made sure he wasn’t overusing his political power despite the absence of a second political party to object. By creating the Monroe Doctrine, he assisted in shaping future foreign policy, a policy America still lives by today, even though it’s not technically a law. Overall, Monroe’s good decisions certainly outweighed his bad ones leaving him with a respectable grade of a B+.
Works Cited
"American President: James Monroe: Domestic Affairs." Miller Center of Public Affairs. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/monroe/essays/biography/4.
Bailey, Thomas A., Lizabeth Cohen, and David M. Kennedy. The American Pageant: A History of the Republic. 12 ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Print.
Degregorio, William A.. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents, Seventh Edition (Complete Book of Us Presidents). 7 ed. Fort Lee: Barricade Books, 2009. Print.
"The James Monroe Administrations." Presidential Administration Profiles for Students. Online Edition. Gale Group, 2002. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/.
"Presidential Vetoes, 1789–2008 — Infoplease.com." Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free online reference, research & homework help. — Infoplease.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0801767.html.
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